The Lovepools On the Making Of “Something = Nothing”
What was the creative process like for this particular "Something = Nothing?"
Years ago, when I was a teenager, I was riding a passenger with my Mom and Step Dad in the family BMW headed up to Big Bear Mountain in the middle of a pretty heavy snowstorm. The typical trip up the mountain normally takes maybe 50 minutes or so and this particular night took over 2 hours to get into town. We were fortunate enough to have simply arrived safely into town and there was one particular sight once we arrived which I never forgot.
During this heavy snowstorm, there was a young woman, probably a teenager dressed in black, walking right in the middle of a two-lane highway in town, pacing on the yellow lines that separate incoming and oncoming traffic. She didn't need help, as there was plenty of room on the side of the road to walk safely. Still, she was choosing to walk right on the yellow lines in the middle of the road during all of this snowfall as if she had some sort of death wish. I caught only a glimpse of her as I sat in the passenger seat and we all obviously felt bad for the state of mind she must have been in to be walking there purposefully. It was the kind of situation where you see someone choosing to put themselves in danger and though I was maybe 14 then, the memory has stayed fresh in my mind.
Fast forward many years later, and I'm in my bedroom studio composing a beat, ready to improv a take at the mic. I basically had no melody yet, hit "record" and just started lightly singing words as the beat played. The words and melody that came out became the second verse for the song in which I was thinking about that girl walking by herself alone in the snowstorm. Quickly, the song took form and became a sort of fictional story about what her life may have been like.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for "Something = Nothing?"
The recording process was fairly simple. Everything was tracked inside my room and the windy pad that enters when the song starts was a sample I found in Logic and built the song around.
The production took some time as far as me being happy with the right sounds and various effects playing off each other. I tried to use a clean vocal sound for the song but it just didn't fit right and I ended up using a lot of chorus and saturation to give the vocal a sort of dreamy, sedated, and synthetic feeling. I like the idea that the vocal is out of touch with reality as if the vocal sound is an extension of the subject's state of mind. I sang a lot quieter and in a lower register than what I usually sing. The Gorillaz/Damon Albarn influence is obvious as far as the vocal production goes.
What do you like the best about this track?
I'm quite fond of the lead synth lines in the song. I feel like they leave an impression on me when I hear them and there is a sort of sense of hope behind them. I did the mixing for the song as well and finally, I'm happy with the mix I did.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
I've always loved music ever since I heard The Beatles. I played saxophone in a high school band and quit as a Junior to focus on writing and home recording. I had enough friends at school but usually I'd just come home and play and record music. I'm kind of the same way now, I love to just be creative every day and work on songs so it only made sense to me to pursue it as a career. Without music, I wouldn't be fulfilled, which is why I have stuck to it since I was a teenager.
How do you continuously grow and evolve as an artist
That's kind of a difficult question to answer. I think being curious, humble, and compassionate is perhaps something I try to practice every day. To me, being an artist means being on the hunt for things that make me laugh like Arrested Development (TV Show), or experiences that challenge me like playing golf. It may sound weird but I feel like keeping myself entertained and inspired by what I see, touch, and experience keeps creativity flowing. I know that if I'm challenged outside of music, I'll eventually challenge myself musically. I do love to just put on albums sometimes too. I believe that in the end, we are all artists at heart, and some of us choose to use our voice and some don't. I know that doesn't really answer the question so I'll just say this: I try to never write the same song twice, and said the new song I'm working on needs to be memorable. If I can accomplish that, I've experienced artistic growth.